Incubation of chicken eggs at home: temperature and humidity, mode, table

The incubation of selected chicken eggs makes it possible to obtain he althy offspring of birds and significantly reduce the cost of acquiring young animals. True, this process is rather troublesome, it requires great dedication and a serious attitude. But with the right approach and organization of the process, the result is fully justified.

Features of breeding offspring

Ideally, hatching should be done directly by the mother hen. However, one bird is able to reproduce up to 15 chickens. This amount is not enough even for a personal household, so you have to resort to the use of incubators.In standard household appliances, the temperature is not evenly distributed, therefore it is recommended to stir the eggs daily. Humidity is regulated by placing water containers inside.

In the process of hatching, it is necessary not only to maintain humidity at the right level, but also to control the temperature, provide airflow, and sometimes even cool the eggs.

Selection and preparation of eggs for incubation

Special attention is paid to the selection and preparation of eggs for incubation. The success of the whole business, as well as the he alth and normal development of the future brood, depend on their quality and suitability.

Candling

A device such as an ovoscope provides the opportunity to:

• timely detect defects in the shell (microcracks, depressions, outgrowths);
• assess the dimensions of the air chamber, which should not exceed 4 mm;
• assess the position of the yolk and find out if it moves during sharp turns;
• consider the so-called marble shell, which indicates a calcium deficiency;
• see the presence of dark spots indicating the presence of mold;
• examine foreign objects or blood clots;
• see the number of yolks and cull if necessary, as two-yolk eggs are not suitable for incubation.

Egg storage

Before laying in the incubator, it is necessary to warm up the selected material in a warm room. The eggs should reach 25°C.

Egg disinfection

Some farmers are of the opinion that eggs should not be washed before being placed in an incubator. However, experienced people still insist that cleaning from dirt and treating bacteria are mandatory procedures.To do this, use a weak solution of potassium permanganate or 1.5% hydrogen peroxide. The shell is wiped with a soft cloth pre-soaked in a disinfectant liquid, which should have a temperature of about +30 °C

Choosing and preparing an incubator

Incubators differ not only in power, but also in the type of egg laying. It can be done both vertically and horizontally. When laying horizontally, the eggs must be turned over 180 °, and when laid vertically, they must be tilted in different directions by 45 °.

Specialists recommend units with a horizontal laying method, since it is this that is natural when hatching hens. To get closer to the heat source, the embryo must rise as high as possible.

How to bookmark

In order to properly lay eggs, you need to set the type of bookmark in the incubator, having studied the necessary documentation and inspecting it externally.Usually, in home devices, a horizontal tab is provided, and in industrial devices, a vertical one with an automatic flip. In the second case, eggs must be laid with a blunt end up.

Experts recommend selecting eggs of the same size in one tab, since each additional gram of weight prolongs the pecking time by almost an hour. If this is not possible, then first of all the largest testicles are placed in the incubator, after 3 hours - medium, and after 7 hours - the remaining small ones.

Experienced farmers advise laying eggs around 6pm.In this case, the chicks will start hatching in the morning, after 21 days. By evening, almost all of them will have hatched.

How to maintain the necessary conditions in the device?

The incubator must maintain a certain microclimate. Due to fluctuations in humidity and temperature, chicks can die.The optimum temperature for keeping chicken eggs is 37-40 °C. The embryo can develop at a temperature of 27 to 43 ° C, however, if this indicator is lowered, the hatching time is delayed and the risk of embryo death or deviations in its development increases.

The air humidity in the incubator in the initial period is maintained at 50%, and a few days before the chicks hatch, it is raised to 65-70%. Humidity limits are 45-82%, but experts do not recommend approaching them.

Influence of conditions on chick development

Hypocooling or overheating of the testicles causes the development of diseases in chicks. If the heating source in the incubator is located on top, then the temperature is maintained up to 40 ° C in the upper part of the apparatus. In the case when the sources are on all sides, the temperature readings should not exceed +38.5 °C.These rules allow you to get he althy offspring without deviations in development and in strictly defined terms. If the brood does not appear within 24-25 days, then it is already meaningless to wait.

Incubation stages and temperature conditions

It is noteworthy that for each breed of chickens, not only individual temperature conditions are set, but also other indicators at various stages of incubation.

Egg and meat-egg breeds and crosses

Temperature and humidity in the incubator are perhaps the most important parameters responsible for the full development and he alth of future chicks. If they are overestimated, then the chicks will hatch underdeveloped and weak, and if they are underestimated, they will be unviable and frail.

First period

The first incubation period lasts for the first 18 days after laying. The temperature is currently kept at 37.5 ° C, and humidity - 50%.The testicles do not require additional refrigeration, but they must be rotated every hour. A week later, they are checked with an ovoscope. Those that lack a visible network of blood vessels should be removed. Below is a table with the main parameters of keeping eggs of these breeds in an incubator.

Humidity TemperatureRotation 37.5°C 70-75%37°C Not required

		1	1-18 days	50%
In 1-1.5 hours		2	19-21 days

Second period

The final stage that precedes the birth of chicks. It lasts from 19 to 21 days of laying. The temperature in the incubator is maintained at +37 ° C, and the humidity rises to 75%. Turning the testicles is no longer required. We must try to open the incubator as little as possible.

Broilers

Broilers have a special hatching schedule, which consists of 4 periods. At home, it is difficult to follow all the recommendations, but with some effort it is possible to get a he althy full-fledged brood. From the second week in the morning and evening, it is necessary to produce mandatory cooling of eggs for 5 minutes.

First period

For boilers, this period takes only the first 2 days. The temperature is kept at 38 ° C, and humidity - 50%. Every 1-1.5 hours it is necessary to turn the eggs. If the incubator is not equipped with an automatic turning system, then you will have to do the procedure manually 4-6 times a day. To avoid mistakes with which side the eggs were turned, they must be marked by drawing on the shell some sign. The scheme of such a procedure is very simple and not very difficult, but it requires diligence and patience.

Second period

Incubation of the second period in broilers lasts from 3 to 12 days. Temperature indicators are reduced to 37.7 ° C, and the frequency of coups and humidity levels are left at the same level.

Third period

This period lasts from 13 to 18 days. The temperature is lowered a little more, bringing it to 37.5 ° C, and the humidity and the frequency of turning are not changed. From the 14th day, they begin to gradually cool the eggs (5 minutes in the morning and evening). During this period, the embryos require a lot of air, so the incubator must be periodically ventilated. Until the very pipping, the cooling time is slightly increased (by several minutes).

Fourth Period

This stage precedes the birth of chicks. It lasts from 19 to 21 days. The temperature should be lowered to 37 ° C, and the humidity should be increased to 70%. Eggs no longer require turning. On days 20-21, the temperature indicators are reduced even more (to 36.8 ° C), and the humidity is adjusted to 80%.

Inspection of chicks

After the chicks hatch in the incubator, they must be examined. Egg breeds are examined within 6 hours after birth, and meat breeds - 10 hours. He althy and normally developed chickens should have the following characteristics:

• closed umbilical cord without bleeding;
• thick bright yellow fluff;
• eyes sparkle;
• wings fit symmetrically to the body.

After a few days (chicks hatch inactive), the chicks become mobile, emit a calm squeak, and react to various sounds.

Chick care after hatching

After hatching, the chicks are left in the incubator until the down is completely dry, after which they are transferred to a specially prepared brooder.If there is none, and the livestock is small, then an ordinary cardboard box will do. For heating, it is recommended to hang a red lamp and install a drinker with clean water. Chicken areas are kept clean and dry. A rag is covered at the bottom, which can be easily changed and washed.

The first feeding is on the same day the chicks hatch. They are fed exclusively soft food, such as a hard-boiled egg. Subsequently, they switch to a coarser feed (millet, special mixtures, compound feed). Chicks must have constant access to fresh and clean water. To do this, they install special drinkers.

As soon as the chicks get stronger, they are moved to the chicken house. The room is prepared in advance by sterilizing and disinfecting it. The presence of viruses and infections should be completely excluded, as well as the litter should be protected from rats and cats. The area of the chicken house is selected so that no more than 12 chicks are placed on one square meter.The floor is preferably covered with hay.

A week after hatching, the chicks are gradually accustomed to walking in the fresh air. On the first day, they walk them no longer than 1-1.5 hours, and then the time is gradually increased. Soon they will be able to spend the whole daylight hours outside, in a fenced-in paddock. This procedure is useful for chickens, since the sun's rays contribute to the production of vitamin D, and this is an excellent prevention of rickets.

Mistakes of beginner poultry farmers

When trying to breed chicks in an incubator, novice poultry farmers often make mistakes that increase the amount of incubation waste. The most common ones are:

1. Using too small or too large eggs for bookmarks.
2. Laying stale material or one that was stored in improper conditions (in the refrigerator or in rooms with an air temperature above +20 ° С).
3. Use for laying eggs with shells contaminated with droppings.
4. Using eggs with obvious defects and flaws.
5. Incorrect setting of the incubator, non-observance of incubation modes.

Before you hatch chickens and send eggs to the bookmark, you need to study the special literature, get a sufficient level of theoretical training and knowledge. It will take patience and endurance to constantly monitor the humidity, temperature in the incubator, as well as timely cull.

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